Satoshi Yagisawa; trans. Eric Ozawa
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa, translated from the Japanese by Eric Ozawa, is a light, heart-warming read about how literature can help one to find one’s voice.
The narrative unfolds in the voice of Takako, a 25-year-old female who thinks she is in love with an office mate. When this same office mate announces his marriage to a co-worker, Takako is broken-hearted. She quits her job, and, at the invitation of her Uncle Satoru, moves into the room above his Morisaki bookshop in Tokyo.
Initially, Takako is lethargic, depressed, and spends a lot of time sleeping. Eventually, however, she picks up a classic novel and starts reading. The more she immerses herself in books, the better she feels about herself and the more she appreciates her uncle’s kindness towards her. Her self-confidence increases; her perspective expands. When she feels strong enough, she moves out of the bookshop and finds her own place. She returns periodically to visit her uncle and to help him figure out why his wife who had unexpectedly abandoned him years before suddenly shows up. In the process of solving the mystery, Takaka befriends a fellow book-lover, a friendship that leads to a relationship.
Told in simple, unadorned language, Takako’s voice grows from that of a self-obsessed child to that of an assertive, self-assured young woman, capable of empathy, unafraid to confront her former boyfriend, and unafraid to take risks. She helps her uncle navigate his relationship with his wife and is instrumental in reuniting them. She attributes her transformation to the books she read at her uncle’s Morisaki Bookshop. As she phrases it, reading “opened up a door I had never known existed.”
Although lacking in depth and a little uneven, the novel is short, engaging, and a quick read. Its premise reinforces what all book lovers already know: reading has the power to transform lives.